Folding nursery or toilet chair.



Patented Feb. I2, l90l. N. P. MEADE.

FOLDING NURSERY 0R TOILET CHAIR.

(Application fi led Sept. 15, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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F UlLDlNG NURSERY OR TOILET CHAIR.

SPEGIFICA'IIUN forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,986, datedFebruary 12, 1901.

Application filed September 15, 1900. berial No. 30,095. (No model-t .To(LZZ whom it 772mg concern:

Be it known that I, NELLIE P. MEADE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Nursery orToilet Chairs; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the ac companying drawings, and to the letters and figuresof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in folding chairs of that kindor style especially adapted for utilization as nursery or toilet chairs;and the object is to provide a chair of this kind and for the generaland special purposes named which is of simplified construction, whichmay be readily collapsed or folded and as conveniently extended, andwhich is strong, durable, certain in manipulation and action, andcapable of being folded for disposition or transportation or extendedand arranged for occupancy.

With these objects and purposes in view the invention consists orresides in the novel construction of parts and their combination oraggroupment, as will be hereinafter fully described, and the noveltythereof particularly pointed out in the claims.

I have fully and clearly illustrated my improvements in the accompanyingdrawings, to be taken as a part hereof, and wherein- Figure 1 is aperspective of the chair as extended and in arrangement or position foroccupancy. Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation, showing the side rail ofthe seat broken off in order that the engagement of the upper or frontend of the front extension of the rear legs with the holding-bracketsmay be seen. Fig. 3 is a side view of the chair as it appears in itscollapsed or folded condition, also showing the return or reversed endof the slot in the side pieces or bars of the seat. Fig. at is a detailview showing the invention applied and utilized as a seat on awatercloset-seat support, wherein the opening in the closet-seat isgenerally too large for the convenient occupancy of a small child.

A designates the front legs of the chair, and

B designates the rear legs, pivotally united or connected to each otherat a proper point by bolts or pins 1 and connected at their respectivelower end by rings or cross-bars 2 3 in a well-known manner. The upperex-tensions of the front legs are also connected by a crossbar 4, asindicated in the drawings, and the upper ends of the roar extensions ofthe front legs are pivotally connected to the rear end portions of theside bars or pieces of the seat.

0 designates the seat, which may be made solid or unbroken; but sincethe chair is particularly designed to be used as a nursery or toiletchair the bottom is made with an appropriate opening 4:, serving awell-known purpose.

Rigidly secured to each side of the bottom and extending substantiallythe length thereof are side pieces or bars 5 6, to which the rearextensions of the front legs are pivotally connected, as at 7, asheretofore mentioned. Closely adjacent to the inner side faces of theseside pieces 5 6 are secured keepers or brackets 8 S, duplicates inconstruction and consisting of metal plates adapted to be secured to theunder face of the chairseat and bent down in depending verticaldirection, as at 9, and then bent inward and parallel with the plate,which is secured to the seat, as at 10, the part 10 forming a seat orkeeper in which the reduced end or nose 11 of the forward extension ofthe rear legs of the chair lodge and engage when the legs are extendedand the seat is held in elevated position for occupancy.

The invention when the legs are collapsed or in folded position may bevery aptly utilized as an adjunct device to be placed upon the commonwater-closet seat wherein the opening of the water-closet seat is toolarge for convenient and safe occupancy of a small child. To utilize thedevice for this purpose, the legs of the chair are folded and the chairin this condition placed on the regular seat of the water-closet, and inthis condition the child is safely and comfortably seated in the chair,the back of the chair being moved in upright position, as indicated inFig. 4 of the drawings.

It will be further perceived by recourse to the foregoing descriptionand by reference to down until the upper ends of the forward ex tensionsare brought to contact with the under face of the seat and then pushingthe rear legs forward until their forward ends engage in the brackets orkeepers,when the chair may be occupied, the back being raised, and theseat be securely held in the desired positionfor occupancy.

D designates the back of the chair, having the lower end or edgessecured to the rear end portion of the seat, so that it can or may beturned down on its hinges and be substantially in alinement with and onthe chair seat or bottom. The back may be of any desired material,having the side rails or pieces formed with slots 12, running parallelwith the side pieces and made of such length as to permit the back toassume the desired positions of verticality or upper position and foldedor laid-down position. In the slots 12 of the side pieces of the backare slidinglydisposed pins or bolts 13 13,extending through and securedin the upper ends of the back braces let 14:, the lower ends of whichare provided with inwardly-directed pins or bolts 15 15, which slidinglyengage in longitudinallyarranged seats 16 16, formed in the side piecesof the seat of the chair. The slots 16 are of such length as to permitthe movement of the lower end of the braces or supports to such distanceor extent as to admit the back being turned down flat on the seat, withthe bolts or pins lodged in the rear ends of the slots. The front endsof the slots 16 are turned back or reversed, as seen at 17, the reversedportions serving as seats or locks into which the pins of the sidebraces automatically rise and engage to lock the pins therein, and thusprevent the lower ends of the braces from sliding back in the slots andat the same time holding the braces in their functional relation to theback, whereby the back is held rigid in its proper upright position.

The functions of the respective parts, elements, and constructions havebeen specified inthe premises of the description relating or pertainingthereto; but in order that the manipulation and utilization of the chairmay be briefly epitomized and collated the following is stated: Thatwhen the chair is in collapsed or folded condition, as illustrated inFig. 3 of the drawings, it may be extended and placed in condition orposition for use and occupancy by pulling or moving the rear legs downuntil the front ends of the extensions contact with the under surface ofthe seat adof the legs engage Within the keepers. When the engagement isthus made, pressure or weight applied to the seat tends to. fix and holdthe legs in extended position and the seat elevated and horizontal. Theback of the chair may then be turned up on its hinges and the lower endsof the side braces pushed forward, causing the pins therein to slide inthe slots in the side pieces of the seat until the pins reach thereversed ends of the slots, whenaslightbackward movement of the back ofthe chair will draw the pins of the braces into engagement with thereverse ends of the slots. and lock the back for the time in its uprightposition.

To collapse or fold the chair, the back is turned forward to permit thelower end of the braces being disengaged from the reversed ends of theslots in the'side pieces of the seat, which being effected the lowerends of the braces may be moved rearward in the slots and the upper endsthereof moved to the upper ends of the slots in the side pieces of theback, the back being in the meanwhile turned down flat on the seat. Thefront end of the seat may then be raised until the upper ends of therear legs are disengaged from the keepers, when the legs move readilyinto collapsed position, as indicated in the drawings.

What I claim is- 1. Ina folding chair, the combination of a seat formedwith slots in its side pieces extending from adjacent to the rear endsthereof forward and terminating in reverse ends, a back hinged to therear portion of the seat, and formed with longitudinally-disposed slotsin its side piece, and brace-pieces having pins at their upper ends toslidingly engage in the slots of the side pieces of the back, and pinsin their lower ends toslidingly engage in the slots of the side piecesofthe seat and adapt ed to lock in the reverse ends of such slots.

2. A folding chair comprising a seat, having slots in its side piecesformed with reverse ends, crossed legs pivotally secured together attheir crossings, and the front legs having the extensions above thepivotal point, hinged to the rear portion of the seat, and the rear legsformed at their upper ends with shouldered projections, keepersorbrackets secn red to the front portion of the seat to take and holdthe shouldered projections of the rear legs, a back hinged to the seatand formed with vertical slots in itsside bars or pieces, andbrace-pieces having pins in their upper ends to slidingly engage in theslots of the side bars of the back, and pins in their lower ends toslidingly engage in the slots of the side pieces of the seat anddetachably lock in the reverse ends of said slots.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NELLIE P. MEADE.

Witnesses:

LOUISE FONTAINE GADoT, NEILIE S. WILKINSON.

